The 20 best cheap eats in Manchester

This elegant noodle bar is owned by the Japan Centre’s CEO Tak Tokumine, and Manchester secured the first branch outside London in late 2016. The house special is tonkotsu: a slow cooked pork broth with barbecue pork belly, egg, mushrooms, sesame, ginger and nori seaweed. Extras include fried shallots, caramelised black garlic, kimchi and seafood. The house gyoza and moreish wagyu steak buns are musts, too.

Kate Wilson and Jim Morgan (previously of Honest Crust) know a thing or two about pizza. They’ve been involved in pop-ups and events previously, but set up their own permanent site in an area of the city known at one time as Little Italy (and now as Ancoats).

It’s safe to say expectations are low when you have to enter a restaurant via a metal staircase in a takeaway that’s surrounded by tens of nightclubs and bars. While Ethiopian restaurant Habesha certainly is a little rustic, once you’ve grabbed yourself a bottle of St. George (an Ethiopian beer), you’ll soon feel right at home. The richly spiced stews (meat or veg) served on gluten-free injera bread are excellent. 

Eating at Kabana is a euphoric experience. The curries vary on what feels like every visit. The chicken masala and lamb karahi (on or off the bone) are reliable options – the latter is thick and coriander-heavy with a freshness you may not expect from a dish that requires lengthy cooking. The spiced yoghurt-marinated lamb chops? Also great.

While the atmosphere inside is perfectly acceptable, it’s obvious ambience has never been the number-one concern here: lighting seems to vary from extremely low level one night to almost blinding the next, and décor is basic. However, the steaming bowls of Vietnamese pho (noodle soups) are unmissable, and incredibly cheap.

There are two branches of Pancho’s to choose from: one in the Arndale Food Market and one just off Oxford Road, near Manchester Metropolitan University. Whichever you visit, expect gorgeous, brilliant-value Mexican food.

Love a hidden gem? You don’t get much more off the beaten track than this Thai diner in a Chinatown supermarket. Highlights include a bright purple fish ball stew, eye-wateringly hot papaya salad and black rice pudding, baked to sticky perfection in banana leaves.  

Away from the Curry Mile, Manchester offers several decent Indian restaurants, where service is friendly and efficient and where the wine list goes beyond the usual house stuff. Akbar’s is one such place. The slow-cooked lamb nihari is fantastic, and adventurous diners will be delighted by moreish takes on tripe brain and sheep’s trotters. 

You know you’ve reached Barbakan when you catch a whiff of fried onions or spot a queue that snakes down the steps and on to the street. Fortunately, their outdoor sausage sellers (Saturdays only) are efficient and you won’t be waiting long: the bratwurst is a solid favourite and there are around 10 chutneys and mustards to choose from (the sauces are self-service – go crazy!).

Many Brits grew up eating toasted cheese sandwiches in front of the TV, and Northern Soul make the city’s best. Choose from extras like beef patties, bacon and house pickles, or go back to basics with the three-cheese house blend. Lampshades made from cheese graters and wooden decking warm this semi-outdoor stall, just opposite the Arndale Food Market.

This independent bakery opened in the up-and-coming suburb of Levenshulme five years ago and demand for their varied selection of breads has been, erm, on the rise ever since. The café-bar and restaurant space was expanded in late 2016. The brunch and bread menus are now joined by restaurant-style creations such as tempura leeks with crab mayo, and a marmalade croissant bread and butter pudding.

The best thing about this kebab shop is that you don’t need to be hammered to enjoy the grub they’re dishing out. While there’s a table-service restaurant hidden at the back, most don’t get further than the takeaway counter at the front. This is where you’ll get value for money: food that’s tastier eaten off your lap or while walking home than it is on a plate with a knife and fork.

Those who turn up to Earth expecting greasy pizzas and fried chicken really need a good lesson in symbolism. The speciality here is vegetarian food that harks back to an era of baggy pants and patchouli oil – think chickpea burgers, mixed salad and grains, and so on. Pop upstairs for a yoga or mediation class in the beautiful, hand-built space that’s part of the Northern Quarter’s Buddhist Centre. 

Ten years ago, the closest most Manchester students got to Japanese cuisine was a Pot Noodle, but the arrival of cafeteria-style noodle bars such as Umami has made pan-Asian casual restaurants a mainstay in most university towns. Options include fresh sushi, soup noodles and salt and pepper tofu.  

Close to the Four Banks intersection in Chorlton, a suburban area of south Manchester known for its bars and cafés, this family-run Middle Eastern restaurant serves good-value shareable food, ideal for groups of friends.

There are plenty of Thai and Malaysian restaurants to choose from in Manchester, some headed up by celebrity chefs, others located in swanky million-pound buildings. One that bucks the trend but consistently delivers good food is Thai Phetpailin. The whole steamed sea bass is a treat. 

Popular with everyone from students to Olympic athletes, Viet Shack’s self-styled healthy Vietnamese street food comes with a modern twist. With counter service and seating shared with the rest of the Arndale Food Market, it’s ideally placed for a quick, cheap on-the-go lunch.

Over the past few years this city’s food scene has flourished: trailblazing indie restaurants have opened across the city, under-the-radar local favourites have been celebrated by national restaurant critics and world-famous chefs are setting up flashy new ventures.